Florida Senate panel votes to ban spying with drones

Published: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 12:39 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 10:58 p.m.

TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate panel says police should be banned from using drones to spy on citizens.

A bill (SB 92) that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from gathering evidence or other information flew through the Criminal Justice Committee with a unanimous vote Tuesday.

The Daytona Beach Police Department is considering using drones for police work. Chief Mike Chitwood said last year that the department is in its infancy stage with the process and conducting research on companies that make various drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles.

The bill also would ban government agencies from using drones for code enforcement.

Sen. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican who sponsored the bill, first agreed to some changes that made it more acceptable to police chiefs and sheriffs.

The panel amended the bill to make exceptions to the ban for search warrants signed by judges and for certain emergencies such as fires and hostage situations.

The bill also includes an exception for terrorism-related searches.

Negron said the measure would balance the need for security with privacy rights.

Last month, Chitwood commented on the bill. “There certainly are legitimate concerns about infringing upon our rights, but to say we're not going to use it, I think, is very shortsighted just because of the potential for something to go wrong,” Chitwood said. “If there's great technology that could help people, why not use it?”

<p>TALLAHASSEE — A Florida Senate panel says police should be banned from using drones to spy on citizens.</p><p>A bill (SB 92) that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from gathering evidence or other information flew through the Criminal Justice Committee with a unanimous vote Tuesday.</p><p>The Daytona Beach Police Department is considering using drones for police work. Chief Mike Chitwood said last year that the department is in its infancy stage with the process and conducting research on companies that make various drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles.</p><p>The bill also would ban government agencies from using drones for code enforcement.</p><p>Sen. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican who sponsored the bill, first agreed to some changes that made it more acceptable to police chiefs and sheriffs.</p><p>The panel amended the bill to make exceptions to the ban for search warrants signed by judges and for certain emergencies such as fires and hostage situations.</p><p>The bill also includes an exception for terrorism-related searches.</p><p>Negron said the measure would balance the need for security with privacy rights.</p><p>Last month, Chitwood commented on the bill. “There certainly are legitimate concerns about infringing upon our rights, but to say we're not going to use it, I think, is very shortsighted just because of the potential for something to go wrong,” Chitwood said. “If there's great technology that could help people, why not use it?”</p>